Self praise for “Legal recommendations in line with our core values” – but whose aren’t?

A profile of the general counsel of Whole Foods Market, Roberta Lang, appears in InsideCounsel, June 2008 at 72. The all-natural food supermarket giant has seven in-house lawyers and they all are described as invested in the beliefs and values of their client. At one point, Lang says, “We give our recommendations based on law, and we also make sure those recommendations are in line with our core values.”

Don’t all in-house counsel shape their legal advice in light of their company’s core values? Don’t the lawyers employed by most companies believe that what their company does promotes and provides values?